Friction draft-rigging.



v C. K. BROOKS. FRIOTION DRAFT RIGGING.

APPLUJATIQNv FILED snrT.11,19oa.

y c. K. BROOKS.

FRIGTION DRAFT RIGGING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.11, 1909.

Patented Deej2.2,1911.1..`

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UNITED sTA'rEs PATENT OFFICE.

CHESTER K. BROOKS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNORVTO THE NATIONAL MALLEABLE CASTINGS COMPANY, F CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

FRICTION DRAFT-RIGGING.

Specification of Letters Patent, Patented Dec. 22, 1914.

Application led September 11, 1999." Serial'No. 517,303.

v rigging of the type which employs toggle actuated friction members, and is `designed. to provide means for maintaining a substantially constant angle of inclination of the toggles notwithstanding wear of the parts, whereby the capacity of the rigging remains substantially constant.

A further object of the invention is to so arrange the toggles and toggle actuating -members so that the initial shock either of pulling or buiiing cannot be transmitted directly through the toggle plates and toggles in a manner vto cause either the splitting of the friction casing or the sticking of the friction members.

The nature of my invention will .be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which I have shown a preferred embodiment thereof, and which will now be described, it being premised, how.-

' 35 ever, that 'various changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement 'of the various parts by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit andv scope of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

In these drawings, the numeral 2 designates the draft sills-between which is mount-v ed a longitudinally movable casing 3. This casing is held from rearward movement by means of draft lugs 4 which are riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to the draft sills Q.

5 is the yoke which is secured to the cou pler shank 6, and which incloses the draft rigging. A

7 is a filler block which is inserted between the rear end of the casing 3 and the rear por tion of the yoke and which. forms the bearing for the filler block against the rear end of the easing. The rear end of the coupler shank 6 bears against a follower which is seated between the friction members of the draft rigging hereinafter described and the forward draft lugs 9, which are secured to the draft sills 42. The provision of the follower block 7 permits the use of a rounded yoke.

The arrangement vof the parts thus far de- .scribed,is not essential to my invention, but lllustrate satisfactory meansfor use in connection therewith.

l0 designates friction plates or members,

which have frictional contact with the inner surface of the casing 3, the coacting surfaces of said plates and of the casing walls being slightly converging toward the rear, so that whenthe friction plates are caused to enter the casing, they are also forced by the converging walls thereof to approachthe center line of the draft rigging.

1l designates toggle actuating plates, between which and the. friction plates l0 are lnterposed the toggle members 12, said toggle members having rounded or convexed ends -which engage in cavities or recesses 12.

in the inner faces of the plates.' The friction plates 10 bear at their forward ends on the rear face of the follower 8, and the toggles are adaptedto 'transfer pressure .from the draw bar or the yoke outwardly upon the friction plates, thereby causing frictional contact between said plates and the walls'of the casing in the manner to be hereinafter described.

A wedge 13 is interposed between the two toggle actuating members 11 from the rear,

said wedge being always held under slight pressure by means of a wear adjusting spring 14. This spring is seated between the 'wedge and the innerface of the rear end of the casing. This wedge and spring serve to take up any wear that may occur,

and which if not compensated for, would cause a change inthe angle of inclination of the toggles.- This would mean an increase 1n. the outward pressure exerted and would vcause the toggles to gradually approach so mendous spreading force would exist tending to rupture'the casing. Between an abutment l1a on the toggle actuating members 11 and the forward abutment 10a on the friction plate 10 is seated a short spring 15. The function of this spring is to permit of relative movement of the friction plates 10 and the toggle actuating plates 11 under `bufting and pulling strains and yet oppose the ,force of the wear spring 14 in lorder to maintain a fixed relation between the'friction plates and the toggle actuating plates in a longitudinal direction, when the parts are in normal positions. This prevents the pressure of the wear spring from acting to orce the toggle actuating plates forwardly and consequently cause too great an angle of inclination of the toggles. In the normal position of the parts, that is to say, when they are under neither bulfng or pulling strains, as shown in Fig. 1, the free length of the spring 15is such that the toggle actuating members arejust in contact with the follower 8; but this contact is so slight that they receive no initial blow or pressure from the followerv due to a bufling orA ulling force. This blow, when a pulling or uiing shock takes place, is transmitted through a release spring 16 to the -friction plates 10. For clearness, we shall first consider the action of the draft rigging under a buliing force only, in which case the casing 3l remains immovable against the rear lugs 4 and all motion of the parts causing them to enter the casing will be spoken of as in- Y ward movement and motion in the opposite direction as outward movement.

The novelty in the device consists 1n providing means, viz., the toggles 12 1n comblnation with the inwardly converging walls of the casing 3, whereby the friction plates 10 are caused to move inwardly at a more' rapid rate tharnthe follower 8 and the tog-V gle plates 11. TVhen bufling pressure is appliedi to the follower 8, the tendency is to push l. the friction plates and the toggle plates inwardly and at the same rate, but, due to the inwardly converging walls 'of the casing, the friction plates 1G are caused to move toward each other as theyA move inwardly, thus causing the toggleslQ to assume a position more nearly/parallel to the longitudinal aXis of the draft rigging. As

the toggles rotate, they bear at one end on the toggle plates 11 andlpush the friction 4 plates 10 inwardly at a relatively greater rate of speed, at the same time .forcing the friction plates 10 against the casing to produce the desired frictional resistance. In other words, although both the toggle plates and the friction plates travel inwardly under a bufling force, .the friction plates have an inward movement relative to the toggle plates 11, since the latter are caused to move more rapidly inwardly by the partial rotation lof the toggles within their sockets. This means that during the inward motion, the friction plates move away from their Contact with the moving follower 8 by reason of their more rapid movement, thereby leaving the toggle plate 11 to receive the pressure from said follower, which is the desirable end to be. secured. 1t

should be clearly understood, however, that ,the device operates in the same manner uncar) while the toggleplates 11 remain stas.

tionary in contact vwith the front follower. The movement of the casing and other frictional parts with relation toeach other is precisely the same whether in bufiing or pulling. Vihen under a pulling strain, the casing 3 is moved forwardly over the friction devices, and the friction plates 10 are moved rearwardly into the casing, so that all of the pulling strain is transmitted to the follower 8 through the mediumof the toggle plates'll, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. When the bufng or pullingforce has ceased, the only pressure upon thc inner ends of the toggles is that which is'caused by the very slight compression of the spring 15. The friction between the walls vof the casing .and the friction plates is then so far reduced that the release spring 16 is able to return the friction plates at once to their normal positions, the wear spring 14 following and maintaining the wedge in its same position with reference to the toggle actuating plates, and the short spring 15 rotating the-inner ends of the toggles baclr to their initial position. Even with the parts in normal position as shown in Fig. 1, this wear spring is under a considerable compression, so that as wear occurs the wedge is constantly pushed for ward. The wear is thus tagren .up and any change in the Aangle of the toggles is prevented.

The draft rigging described is simple in its construction and arrangement of parts; is capable of exerting a powerful frictional action in operation; its capacity is maintained substantially constant by reason of the means which are provided as above described, for maintaining the angle of inclination of the toggles substantially con- 1 toggle actuating plates, and the toggles, may` be of different forms; instead of tcggles, other means may be employed for actuating friction plates. Changes may be made in the arrangements of the wear compensating wedge.; and the manner of engaging the draft rigging with the yoke and coupler.

shank may also be changed.

I claim:

1. In frictional shock absorbing mechanism, a longitudinally-extending casing having an open end, a spring within the casing, and opposite friction faces which converge toward each other in a direction away from said open end and toward the spring, friction members in contact with said friction faces, pressure-transmitting means adapted to vpress said friction members laterally against said friction faces and to move them longitudinally relative to said friction faces under the compressive forces of buliing or draft, and a follower initially in Contact with the friction members and with the pressure-transmitting means, said follower being out of contact with the friction members after the beginning of the compressive movement.

2. In frictional shock absorbing mechanism, a casing having convergent friction faces, a front follower, friction blocks having only an initial engagement with the frontk followerand bearing against the friction faces of the casing, actuating members extending longitudinally between the friction blocks andhaving a bearing at all times against the front follower, and a pressure member interposed between each actuating member and the adjacent friction block, the said pressure members being adapted to transmit pressure from the actuating members to friction blocks.

3. In frictional shock absorbing mechanism, a casing having convergent friction faces, friction blocks having an outward bearing against said faces, actuating menibers, pressure members having a bearing on the actuating members and' being adapted to compress the friction blocks against the friction faces of the casing, and a compensating member between the actuating members.'

4:. ,In frictional shock absorbing mechanism, a casing having convergent friction faces, friction blocks having outward bearing against said faces, actuating members,-

pressure transmitting members having a bearing on the actuating members and the friction blocks, and a compensating device cooperating with the actuating member for maintaining the pressure transmitting members in their initial position at a constant inclination with regard to the friction blocks and the actuating members irrespective of the wear of vthe parts.

In frictional shock absorbing mechanism, a casing having convergent frictional surfaces, friction' blocks in contact with said surfaces, inclined toggle members in contact with said friction blocks, toggle actuating means in contact with said toggle members, and wedge means engaging said toggle actuating members for maintaining the toggles at a constant angle of inclination while in their initial position, irrespective of wear of the parts. l f

G. In a friction draft rigging, friction members, toggle actuating members, obliquely placed toggles interposed between the friction members and the toggle-actuating members, and a spring-pressed compensating wedge between the toggle-actuating members.

7. In a .friction draft rigging, a casing member, frictional members arranged to CO-I act therewith, a follower in contact with the said friction members, toggle actuating members, toggles interposed between the toggle actuatingv members and the .friction members, and a spring interposed between 'the friction members and the toggle actuating members. y

8. In a friction draft rigging, a casing member, a pluralityof v4friction members to coact with the casing member, 'a follower in initial contact with the friction members, a release spring seated between the friction members and the casing member, toggle actuating members also arranged to contact with the follower, toggles between the 'toggle actuating members and the friction members, a spring actuated wedge between the toggle actuating members, and a spring interposed between the toggle actuating members and the friction members.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

y it BRooKs.

I Vitnesses: y I

HARRY F. Onu, BnNJ. `WiLDs, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be 'attained for five cents each, by addressing the u ommissioner of Patents.

Washington. D. C, 

